“It’s hard to look at what he is doing in Ukraine, what his forces are doing in Ukraine, and think that any ethical moral individual could justify that,” John Kirby, the White House National Security Council spokesperson, expressed in April of 2022 when talking about Putin’s “depravity” in Ukraine.
He seemed to be visibly moved by the loss of civilian lives during Moscow’s invasion of the country. “It’s difficult to look at some of the images and imagine that any well-thinking serious mature leader would do that,” he added while struggling to contain his emotions and pausing dramatically, looking overwhelmed by the grief caused by Russia’s actions.
Over a year later, however, when discussing the callous deaths of Palestinian children at the hands of Israel, Kirby appeared to have become completely desensitized to the immense tragedy. “Innocent civilians are going to be hurt going forward,” he remarked, suggesting a shift from his previously compassionate and sorrowful demeanor. It seemed that he was no longer affected by the distressing scenes of children amidst rubble, or by the sight of their charred and mutilated bodies on hospital floors.
This perceptible change in attitude is also evident in the rhetoric of Western leaders, who have depicted Putin as a “psychopathic” and “narcissistic” leader with imperialistic ambitions for his war on Ukraine, a man that has forever tarnished his legacy for the killing of Ukrainian civilians and the destruction of their homes.
According to figures published by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the period from February 2022 to September 2023 saw approximately 9,600 civilian casualties in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, inclusive of 544 children who lost their lives during the 563 days of war. The toll of Israel’s war on Gaza has resulted in even more catastrophic outcomes. In just one month of conflict, the Zionists have claimed the lives of 10,812 Palestinian civilians, including 4,412 children. The Palestinian health ministry in Gaza has meticulously documented the casualties, releasing lists that match the names of the dead with their government identification numbers.
Seeing how Western leaders have reacted to the Russian president’s offensive in Ukraine, and how they have been appearing in front of cameras looking devastated by the loss of civilian lives, one expects to witness a similar response to Benjamin Netanyahu’s far more deadly attacks on Gaza. But instead of receiving a diagnosis on his mental state or being labeled a war criminal, the Israeli prime minister has warmly been embraced by Western leaders who had traveled to the occupied territories to express their unflagging support for the regime.
Western media has also been reflecting the rhetoric of American and European leaders with no compunctions. While Putin has been vilified as a blood-thirsty war criminal, Netanyahu is being praised as a battle-hardened leader who, through his relentless killing of civilians, is simply trying to uphold democracy and freedom.
Only ten days after its invasion of Ukraine, Russia became the most-sanctioned country in the world. There are currently 14,081 sanctions on Russian individuals and entities in place. While undoubtedly it is the Russian citizens that are affected the most by these sanctions, the West likes to claim that its 11 packages of embargo aim to weaken Kremlin’s ability to finance the war.
The West’s response to the genocide and dislocation of Gazans and Israel’s attempt to airbrush Palestinians out of history has, as you guessed, been vastly different. Not only didn’t Israel get hit by any sort of sanctions for its evident war crimes in Gaza, it has been receiving Western munitions and bombs needed to carry out the heinous attacks. The United States House of Representatives has passed a plan providing $14.5bn in military aid for Israel. The US, as Israel’s forever godfather, has also been risking another world war, by threatening Israel’s neighbors and deploying marines and nuclear sea-crafts in the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean.
But if we look closely, we can sense some similarities between these two conflicts as well.
In both conflicts, Washington’s conduct is duplicitous and troubling. It vehemently resists the pursuit of peace and ceasefire, leading to the loss of innocent lives and the destruction of critical infrastructure, including industrial, healthcare, and residential facilities. This callous disregard for casualties stems from a calculated strategy: to weaken its adversaries, even at the expense of civilian lives and mass societal turmoil.
In the context of the Ukraine conflict, America’s focus on weakening Russia translates to the sacrifice of Ukrainian lives and the devastation of the country’s economic, industrial, and healthcare structures. Similarly, in the Gaza conflict, America’s pursuit of undermining its West Asian adversaries, including Hamas, Hezbollah, and their supporters like Iran, results in the death of non-combatants and the destruction of critical residential and healthcare infrastructures in the Gaza Strip. Ultimately, the U.S. emerges as the true beneficiary of both conflicts, aiming to diminish its opponents and bolster its strategic interests. The U.S. is adamant about meeting its interests and does not shy away from using any tactics; even if it means it has to shed the blood of countless innocent civilians. Remember, Americans killed one million people in Iraq, and they didn’t bat an eye while doing so.
By Mona Hojat Ansari
First published by Tehran Times
